The Neptune Factor (1973)

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

An advanced submarine encounters all kinds of peril deep in the ocean during the course of undertaking a daring rescue operation to save three men trapped in an underwater lab in the wake of an earthquake.Director Daniel Petrie lets the potentially exciting premise plod along at a sluggish pace and crucially fails to generate much in the way of either tension or excitement. Moreover, Jack DeWitt's bland by-the-numbers script doesn't offer much in the way of gripping drama or rousing events. While Harry Markin's sharp widescreen cinematography provides a wealth of breathtaking underwater photography and fascinating shots of a wide assortment of exotic sea creatures, the fumbling attempts to make ordinary fish, crabs, and eels come across as giant fearsome beasts proves to be pretty laughable. The game cast do their best with the mediocre material: Ben Gazzara as the gruff Commander Adrian Blake, Walter Pidgeon as the amiable Dr. Samuel Andrews, Ernest Borgnine as jolly diver Don MacKay, Yvette Mimieux as the concerned Dr. Leah Jansen, and Donnelly Rhodes as the stalwart Bob Cousins. Kudos are also in order for Lalo Schifrin's lush orchestral score. An acceptable diversion.

No-th-ing ha-ppens for such a long time. So boring. It takes an hour just for everything to be set up. So much wasted time and dialogue. Boring boring boring. Oh, did I say this was boring? I'm not sure if I did, so I will say it again. BORING. Don't the directors realize that moviegoers want something to happen in the first hour of a one and a half hour movie? Boring. Since IMDb says I have to fill up 10 lines of review I will let you know for absolute certainty my true opinion about this movie, no holding back, my true honest feelings, no splitting hairs, no hiding the truth, unabridged, unedited, no reading between the lines required: boring.

This is an adorable little kids movie from the '70's. 5 stars is pushin it for this one, though. It's not bad but its by no means good. It's just really endearing, in its own out-dated way. So, OK, you've got Ben Gazarra, Ernest Borgnine, and superhuge seahorses in an undersea adventure/race-against-time-kind of thing. I wonder if the guys and 'bots over at MST3K ever got a hold on this one? It would be perfect material for them. It's lame in a wonderful way. If you like Benny Gazzarra, and/or Ernest Borgnine, and would possibly be interested in seeing them marvel at superhuge seahorses when they're in this superdeep sea rift, then I think you should see this movie. No. I urge you to see it.

Oceanlab is an experimental station built atop an undersea mountain in theNorth Atlantic somewhere off the coast of Canada. An earthquake strikes,causing the lab to plunge into an unexplored abyss. Three men are trappedaboard and they have only seven days of oxygen remaining.After five days, the Oceanlab team is able to call in a retired naval officer, Commander Blake (Gazzara). Using his deep sea submersible "Neptune II," itis hoped he can locate and rescue the men before they suffocate. The hope is a slim one; all contact with the lab was lost when the earthquake occurred. The submersible must face the hazards of deep sea travel, aftershocks, and somevery unexpected discoveries on the ocean floor.The cast is unusually strong with Ernest Borgnine, Donnelly Rhodes, YvetteMimieux, and Walter Pigeon all putting in good performances. The specialeffects are limited to model work for undersea shots, but the models are decent enough given the year of release. The film starts out well with the openingscore being particularly noteworthy. Unfortunately, once the submersible gets in the water, the viewer is taken for a rather dull ride for the bulk of the film. Suspense is largely absent. In lieu of pacing, the filmmakers subject the viewer to a lot of stock fish footage. While this was decent enough, it was overused and probably better suited to a nature documentary. Ultimately, the screenplayneeded some serious work. There is insufficient substance to make this workeven as a one hour Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode. "The NeptuneFactor" otherwise possessed all of the elements necessary to make a successful and compelling adventure film.